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$575,000 buys an awfully nice home these days, like the 3 bedroom, 2 bath split we recently closed for a seller client on Leawood Drive.
As the MLS described:
This is a TRUE GEM in a four cul-de-sac neighborhood of about 70 houses! Besides being completely renovated and move-in ready, what sets this house apart is its property; with nearly twice as much land as many plots, the owner really does have the “park-like” setting you read about! With woods on one side and in back, and location in the cul-de-sac – it also is quiet and has much more privacy, too! Back to the house itself, the floor plan on the main level features an updated, Eat In Kitchen with a formal Dining Room and doors out to a HUGE Deck – perfect for entertaining. Upstairs, the three very nice-sized Bedrooms feature pristine hardwood floors – much of them recently refinished – with both the Master Bedroom and Hall having beautifully modernized, sleek and polished bathrooms. Downstairs, there is a newly painted, large Laundry Room, and a HUGE carpeted Family Room/Office or fourth Bedroom with a door out to the side yard.
This one is gone, but we have more. Call me at 914-450-8883 and my team can help you find your best new nest.
If your budget is $625,000 you might be able to buy a home like the raised ranch we recently closed on Country Club Lane with a Hudson River View.
$560,000 will buy you a mighty nice 3 bedroom 3 bath split on a dead end like the one we closed on last month.
I am linking to a short video I posted on LinkedIn recently that acknowledged the firm’s milestone in exceeding $100,000,000 worth of real estate sold in our “home field” MLS for the first time in our history. The MLS scene here is very fragmented, and we belong to several systems (7 to be exact, all within a half hour drive save one), but the one we do the most business on is the Hudson Gateway MLS, which comprises Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, and several surrounding counties. We’ve done $100 million total before combined among all the systems, but never in HGMLS alone. Not only did we do that, we accomplished it with more than a month left to go in the year.
In one corner, we have the Hudson Gateway MLS- weighing in at over 1300 firms, 1650 offices, and 13,000 agents.
7 Things the Industry Should be Doing Amid Coronavirus
(Note: the following piece was originally published in Inman News)
Like many of my colleagues, I’ve been reading — with great concern — about how the ripple effect of the coronavirus pandemic is playing out and how it will affect my business.
However, unlike many of my colleagues across the nation, I am seeing serious consequences in my own backyard. New York state ranks second behind Washington state for coronavirus cases. As I type this, my market of Westchester County accounts for over half of the documented COVID-19 cases in New York (178 at last count).
Only a few miles from one of my offices in New Rochelle, New York, there’s a 1-mile diameter containment zone. The governor brought in the National Guard to assist in cleaning up houses of worship and schools, which will remain closed for two weeks.
Schools are closing like we’re under 6 feet of snow. There’s no widespread panic, but there’s certainly grave concern.
Having lived through the Great Recession, I’m really not in the mood for another disruption. Although, even if things get demonstrably worse, it will, in all likelihood, never be a full-blown crash like the one we saw in 2008.
That said, with so many events being cancelled or postponed, a disruption is inevitable. So what can we, as an industry, do to minimize the detriment and squeeze results out of the scarcity of an alarmed consumer base?
Those over 60 are most susceptible, and this practice would minimize their exposure to contagions. It also provides the added fringe benefit of not having a front-row seat to grandma’s sticker shock when she finds out how prices and taxes have gone up since she last bought a house in 1988.
Last week, I got an invitation to a broker-manager meeting my association is holding on March 18. To its credit, the association allowed remote access as news changed.
Since my business partner just became a grandmother last week, she shouldn’t be forced to miss an important meeting because she wants to hold her infant granddaughter. Allow us to attend remotely. The technology isn’t new. Come on associations, we can pivot.
It might be easier to shop on Amazon, but they will never refer you business. That Chinese restaurant down the road is likely taking it on the chin, especially with so many states and counties placing limits on large gatherings and bars and restaurants.
Be a mensch, and have lunch there if you can, or buy a gift card if they cannot serve. Grab a loaf of bread and chicken soup at the corner deli. Now is a great time to get acquainted with local cleaning operations. When all this blows over, they — and all of their referral sources — will know you were a stand-up supporter. That will make you money.
Even if folks aren’t going to actively tour homes, you can bet that they are looking online. 3D tours are a phenomenal differentiation, as well as a great way to attract more inquiries once things return to normal. We see open houses being cancelled in many markets, and this can help.
Chill out on the office meetings, and start leveraging platforms like Zoom, GoToMeeting and Google Hangouts (that goes for you too, associations).
If you’re in a market where it’s customary to drive clients around in your car, rethink the practice. This is a rarity in liability-conscious, litigious New York, but I do know it occurs more frequently elsewhere. Now is no time to be in such close quarters with people you may not know very well.
Whatever business practice changes you make, apply them consistently. NAR released guidelines that aren’t earth-shattering, but they are useful. One of the more timely takeaways for me was that if you’re going to make changes for one client or customer and not the other, you could run afoul of fair housing guidelines. It’s common sense — but crucial.
The situation sucks. It really does. I see a hot start for my own company hijacked by the pandemic, and I see my industry brethren arguing over politics and health policy.
But we will get through it, and when we do, we should hit the ground running with the pent-up demand. Remember: People prefer to live indoors. There will be plenty of work to do when this passes, but we can produce results in the interim as well.